Lighter Fluid & Razor Blades

Memory is short.  I completely forgot the havoc Arkansas allergens wreak on me.  I know it's autumn in Arkansas when I get shut down by allergies.  By shut down, I mean the kind of allergic reaction that forces one to bed for a couple of days, zaps him of all energy and generally renders him useless.  I had forgotten about this minor inconvenience of the Natural State.  Thankfully, I have been able to obtain some meth-making chemicals (formerly known as nasal decongestants),  some vitamins, and antihistamines to assist in my battle against the considerable downside of this particular sort of allergic reaction.
 
Note to non-Arkansans:  If you suffer from allergies and are ever traveling to Arkansas bring Mucinex D or any other "D" variety meds with you because without a prescription you cannot get any decongestants containing the all-important "D".  While I'm sure this requirement was intended to assist in the battle against meth production, it is a total bummer for the 99% of people who buy these kinds products for their intended use.  

All that to say, I am feeling more like myself thanks to a neighborly doctor and my friends at C&D Drug. 

Last I wrote, I was explaining the difficultly of glass cleaning in the framing world.  Believe or not, it gets more complicated.  I know!  Can you believe that?  I know what you are surely thinking, "Unbelievable!, Say ain't so!"  Friend, I'm afraid it is true. 

Yesterday, I found myself refitting a new mat with existing frames and glazing for a customer.  Before I could put everything together, naturally, the glass had to be cleaned.  I began the process using Owner's secret Windex recipe, the every handy paper towel and gloved hands.  Much to my chagrin, it became quickly apparent, this glass was not getting clean.  I needed backup.  Owner suggested I try some lighter fluid.  (Side note:  lighter fluid pretty much will get anything off anything.  Kind of amazing really.  Warning:  I was already feeling a little high from the Mucinex D and the lighter fluid fumes probably added to it considering my liberal use of the stuff inadvertent as it was.  Dangers await the framer at nearly every turn - glass shards, deadly fumes, limb-removing blades.  This can be a treacherous business, but onward I go.)
Unfortunately, not even the lighter fluid removed all the nasty from the glass.  Again, I asked Owner-Wan Kenobi  for direction.  She inspected the glass and quickly took a razor blade to it.  (Side note 2:  razor blades litter a frame shop.  We use them all the time for all sorts of tasks.  They are quite handy and useful; basically razor blades rock.  And so far, I've managed not to cut myself despite having tried to use one blade side up just the other day.  Oops!)  True to my experience, the razor blade did the trick.  Handy indeed!  Using the razor blade I was able to clean the glass to my satisfaction, well, almost to my satisfaction.  Owner agreed it was clean, but I had the niggling feeling that I probably could have done a little more; however, I had spent nearly an hour on two 8x10 pieces of glass.  I needed to be finished.  Chances are they were clean despite my Yoda-like intuition to the contrary.  After all, I am still but a padawan-learner.